


The Grey Path

by Erik_In_CT



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25841554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erik_In_CT/pseuds/Erik_In_CT
Summary: AU: What really caused Xanatos to turn that night on Telos? And how will events unfold for him and his master as he walks the thin line between Light and Dark? Slash Qui-Gon/Xanatos Rated M for later chapters
Relationships: Qui-Gon Jinn & Xanatos (Star Wars)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	1. 53 BBY

**Author's Note:**

> I use the BBY time designation. BBY stands for "Before Battle of Yavin". For reference, Episode I takes place in 32 BBY.

"Why would the council suddenly call us back from Dantooine? We hadn't even completed our mission yet." The young man walked next to his mentor, looking to him for the answers to questions that he had been pondering ever since they had received the communication from Coruscant that they needed to return to the temple immediately.

"Patience, Xanatos," the older man said as he guided them to the upper chambers of the temple. "The council has its reasons. We'll know soon enough, I am sure."

"Of course Master," Xanatos replied, pushing his dark hair out of his face as he walked. For the last twelve years, Xanatos Chiyari had been apprenticed to one of the best diplomats the Jedi had, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and in that time, he had seen how in demand his master's services were. Although it was quite unusual for them to be called away in the middle of a mission. Whatever the council had in store for them must be extremely important. And at any rate, he knew his master was correct. They would know the reasons soon. They had only just arrived back in the temple within the hour, but their presence had been requested immediately by the council. So now they made their way to the tall tower room that served as the council chambers.

As they reached the large double doors that lead into the chamber, Xanatos took a deep, steadying breath, finding the calm center that Qui-Gon had always urged him to focus on when they went before the circle of senior Jedi. Even after so many years in the Jedi, facing the council always sparked a small amount of anxiety in him. Before they entered the room, he felt his Master's hand fall upon his shoulder, and he turned pale blue eyes up to find the calm reflected in the green of Qui-Gon's deep green gaze.

"Don't worry, my Xan, I'm sure everything will be fine."

Despite himself, Xanatos found his thin lips curving into a smile, and he nodded. "I know." Then he turned towards the doors, following his Master as they walked into the next room, coming to a stop in the center of the circular space and giving a polite bow to the senior Masters of the council.

The chamber where the leaders of the Jedi Knights held council heralded a spectacular view of the city-planet around them. Located in the tallest tower of the temple, it had windows all along the circular room, showing the never-ending flow of air traffic in the bustling capital of the Galactic Republic. In the distance, one could even see the hulking mass that was the Senate building, and offices of the Chancellor of the Republic. But for the Jedi that came to stand in this room, the more awe-inspiring aspect was the twelve chairs that were arranged around the circular walls, and the beings that sat upon them. The wisest, and most venerated of the Jedi inhabited this room, and the very physical presence of the Force flowing around them was more than enough to bring the unprepared to tears at the beauty.

Hands folded beneath their robes, Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Xanatos Chiyari stood in silence before the council. After a few moments, the dark-skinned Master, Mace Windu, spoke, addressing Qui-Gon. "Master Jinn," he began, his voice deep and measured. "The council has recalled you and your apprentice from your mission in order to ask for your assistance in a grave matter that is troubling the Senate and this council. Your skills as a diplomat have been well proven over the years, and we need your expertise in this matter."

"Your servant," Qui-Gon replied, giving a small bow to the senior Master who was also one of his best friends.

"A most serious situation has developed on a powerfully influential planet of the Republic, and the Senate fears civil war may soon break out. Such a war would be devastating for the people on that world, as well as the rest of the Republic.” Windu’s deep voice and the seriousness of his tone was more than enough to give the impression that he did consider the matter he was discussing to be of the utmost importance. “You must find a way to bring peace to the government and the people, and avoid such a catastrophe at all costs. A war on Telos would have horrid repercussions..."

"Telos?" Xanatos interrupted, eyes wide as he momentarily forgot decorum at Master Windu’s mention of the name of the planet. Telos was the planet of his birth, his own barely-remembered father an important figure in their government.

"Xanatos," Qui-Gon, warned sharply, and Xanatos was pulled from his thoughts and looked abashed at his rudeness.

"Forgive me Master," Xanatos said, bowing to the senior Master.

"Forgiveness is given, young Chiyari," Master Windu replied, a knowing grimace momentarily gracing his lips. "It must trouble you to hear of such a disturbance on your home planet, especially considering the high position of your own father in the planet’s government. As a point of fact, it is because of your connection to that world that the council has decided to send you and your Master on this mission. Your knowledge of the customs of that world, and the people on it might be helpful in finding a way to resolve this conflict they now face." 

Master Windu stopped speaking for a moment, his eyes turning to the right, falling upon the most senior of the council. Master Yoda, a small creature whose size belied the power he held, was watching Xanatos with a piercing gaze, a gaze that Xanatos caught and held with all the strength of his will. Only when Master Windu resumed speaking, did Xanatos tear his eyes from the diminutive Master. "The council has also decided to use this mission as your first step towards your knighthood trials."

Those words caught Xanatos' attention, and he looked hard at Master Windu. The start of his trials? Was that the true reason why the council had called his Master and himself from their previous mission? To use a conflict on his home planet as a test of his dedication to the Jedi, and their way? Through the mental link he shared with his Master, Xanatos could feel waves of calm press against his mind, and he was grateful for Qui-Gon's concern. Gathering his wits, he gave a small bow to Master Windu, then to Master Yoda. "The council honors me with their decision to begin my trials towards knighthood. I will strive to uphold the beliefs and strengths of the Jedi."

The eyes of all twelve of the council regarded him in silence, and Xanatos could feel the weight of their gaze pressing upon him. He fought to maintain his calm outer appearance, even as his insides roiled with a sickening mix of anxiety, elation, and fear. Finally, Master Windu addressed Qui-Gon once again. "You shall meet your transport first thing in the morning. An information packet has already been sent to your quarters. Study the details and be prepared. May the Force be with you." The traditional greeting was the signal that the interview was over.

"And also with you," Qui-Gon responded with a bow, then turned and left the council chambers, Xanatos following in his wake. As he reached the portal to the room, his eyes turned back to glance once more over the faces of the council. The dark expressions on many of their faces burned into his mind, but it was Master Yoda’s incomprehensible gaze that caught and held him for a moment. Then he turned and continued to follow his Master out of the room.

Xanatos followed in silence as Qui-Gon led the way back to their quarters in the lower levels of the temple. His mind was racing with the implications of their meeting with the council. Beyond even the scope of their mission itself, the fact that the council had decided to start his trials was a weight that sat heavily upon him. The last seventeen years of his life had been dedicated to becoming a Jedi Knight, and now that he was approaching those final tests to achieving that goal, he found himself consumed with nerves that he knew no amount of meditation could calm.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Qui-Gon's hands falling upon his shoulders. "Xan," he said softly, forcing the younger man to look up at him. "The council would not have made the decision to begin your trials if they did not think that you were ready. Set your mind at ease. You have been a wonderful student, and have a promising future as a Knight. Have faith in yourself." The small upturning of his lips, and the sparkle in those green eyes was enough to start to dispel the darkness that was creeping into Xanatos’ thoughts.

"Thank you Master," he mumbled quietly. Then, moving from Qui-Gon's grasp, he stepped forward, wrapping thin arms around his Master's waist and laying his head upon the older man's chest. He gave an inaudible sigh as he felt Qui-Gon's arms wrap around his shoulders, and he found in that reassuring hold the calm that had been evading him since their meeting with the seniors. For the past twelve years he had been Padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn. Over the last two they had developed a much deeper bond. Such relationships between Master and Padawan were not strictly forbidden, although they were generally frowned upon. Despite that, Qui-Gon and Xanatos had developed a much more intimate bond, and planned on officially announcing their bonding after Xanatos’ knighting. It was a step that few Jedi took, and the council was often hesitant to allow, but Qui-Gon’s high regard within the Jedi was enough to secure them the support they needed.

After a moment, he pulled away, giving Qui-Gon a brief smile before leaning up to press a chaste kiss to his lips. Xanatos turned towards the living area of their quarters, and the mission packet he could see laying upon the table. As he was pulling the contents out to inspect, the chime on their door sounded, and he glanced up as the door opened. A brief moment of surprise registered as he saw Master Yoda framed in the doorway, but he regained his composure, bowing slightly to the older Jedi.

"My Master," Qui-Gon said in way of greeting, gesturing for him to enter.

"With your apprentice, I must speak," Yoda said quietly, his steady gaze focused on Xanatos. "Accompany me to my quarters, will you?"

Xanatos was speechless for a brief moment, but then he gave another little bow, and handed the information packet he was holding to his Master. "Of course, Master Yoda," he said, surprised at the calmness in his own voice. He has always been nervous around his Master's Master, and looked upon any private meeting with him with trepidation. Steeling himself, he gestured for the small Master to precede him from the room, and with a quick glance back at Qui-Gon, followed.

They walked the halls in silence, and Xanatos allowed it to continue until the older Jedi decided to speak. It was unnerving to say the least, but he kept his anxiety firmly in check. It wasn't until they had reached, and were inside, the Master's rooms that Yoda turn to the young Padawan and began to speak.

"Nervous, you are, about starting your trials?"

"Yes Master," Xanatos replied honestly, knowing it would be pointless to do otherwise, the diminutive Master would see through any lie. "I have dedicated my life to becoming a Jedi, and I am confident in my abilities..."

"A problem for you, confidence has never been," Yoda replied with a hint of humor in his voice.

Xanatos allowed a thin-lipped smile to curve on his face. It was true that amongst his yearmates, Xanatos was often chided for his pride. But like most people, the outer facade he presented hid deeper feelings. There was always a trace of nervousness and insecurity lurking deep in his mind. 

"As you say, Master. It is the mission the council has chosen to begin my trials that troubles me." Xanatos fell silent for a moment, and Yoda allowed him to gather his thoughts, waiting for him to speak again. "I came to the temple at an age older than most other initiates," Xanatos said at last. "And as such, I have more.... distinct memories of my life before the Jedi."  
Xanatos had been six years old when Qui-Gon had found him on Telos and recognized the swirl of the Force around him. It had taken quite a bit of convincing his father to let him go to the temple and study to be a Jedi. Crion, Xanatos' father, had hoped to have his son follow in his own footsteps, as most parents did. But he finally relented, knowing that Xanatos could learn much from the Jedi.

"My father is very powerful in the government on Telos," Xanatos continued. "Any conflict brewing would no doubt involve him in some way. He was always full of ambition. I haven't seen him since the day I left to come to the temple. But what if the course of our mission puts me at odds with my own kin?"

"A difficult position it is," Yoda said. "And the reason for your going." Yoda turned his eyes upon the young Jedi. "A reason beyond the knowledge of the council, is why I chose you for this mission. Listen, young Xanatos, much to tell you have I."

For well over an hour, Xanatos sat and listened to the old master as information well beyond anything he could have expected was delivered to him. After Yoda had finished, Xanatos quietly excused himself and made his way towards the temple gardens, his hood pulled up over his head in a silent request for privacy from his fellow Jedi.

Settling upon the soft grass near his favorite waterfall, Xanatos closed off his mind from others, and spent the next several hours going over everything he had heard. There was almost too much to understand all at once. And many heavy and troubling choices ahead of him. He took his time to examine every thought, every path that he could see. Weighing the options before him, and the consequences of each.

Everything suddenly seemed as if it was being turned upside down. Before today, he had been so sure of the path that his life would take. His dedication to the Jedi was something that he had never once questioned, and he had never thought of any life outside of service to the Republic. But the words of Master Yoda rang in his head over and over, and now he could not see the path in front of him anymore. It was clouded, dark. And it was something that he had to handle on his own. He could not let even Qui-Gon, the most trusted and intimate partner in his life, be aware of the turmoil building inside of him. And so he locked a corner of his mind tight, and thought...

It was several hours before Xanatos finally returned to their quarters, and he found upon entering Qui-Gon spread out upon the couch, still going over the information about their mission. Stamping down all of the doubts, fears, and concerns that had been filling his mind, Xanatos vowed to make the most of this time with his bonded. He locked away all the dark thoughts, and let his lips curve into their customary smirk.

Qui-Gon’s head turned towards his apprentice when he heard the door open. "Xanatos?" Qui-Gon said, no doubt noticing the troubled expression upon the younger man's face.

Xanatos sent a wave of calm affection over their bond, and waved off Qui-Gon's concern. "Master Yoda just wished to speak with me about the start of my trials, and then I went to the gardens to meditate for a little while. I'm fine Qui-Gon." Moving into the room, he sat himself next to Qui-Gon, glancing at the data pads on the table before picking one up to exam it. "He gave me a brief rundown of the mission, though I think I'll still need to go over all the information here." He turned his head to find Qui-Gon's eyes on him still, and he leaned over to playfully nudge the older man's shoulder. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm fine, really."

"As you say," Qui-Gon responded, and picked up the data pad he had been reading before the younger man had returned. "The situation on Telos is quite fragile indeed. To say they are on the brink of civil war is an understatement. Many factions have already begun to stockpile weapons and arm themselves. We shall have our work cut out for us, to bring peace back to them."

"We will do what we can," Xanatos said. "With the Force at our side, we will find a way to achieve our goals."

“Indeed,” Qui-Gon answered thoughtfully as he tossed the data pad he was holding onto the table. Reaching over, he pulled the pad from Xanatos’ hands and added it to the pile on the table, then pulled the younger man into his arms as he laid back on the lounger. Xanatos settled comfortably against his Master’s chest and let his eyes drift closed. He smiled as he felt Qui-Gon’s long fingers toying with the braid that hung over his ear. “I think this is one thing I will miss when you are knighted,” he said as he tugged gently on the length of hair. “It makes a very good leash.”  
Xanatos laughed, a sound that drew a responding chuckle from Qui-Gon. “I suppose I do need one at times,” he said. “Although once I am officially knighted, there are many things that will be good for us.”

“You are right, of course,” Qui-Gon answered, his hand dropping to stroke across Xan’s shoulders in a gentle and calming rhythm. “But for now let us focus on the task at hand. I think a good night’s sleep is required before we meet with our transport in the morning.”

Xanatos shifted his position so he could look up into his Master’s eyes, his own hands drifting over Qui-Gon’s abdomen in a teasing stroke.. “Sleep?” His playful tone and smile made Qui-Gon give a throaty laugh.

“The lustfulness of youth,” the older man said as he moved to stand, pulling Xanatos up with him, though his smile betrayed the admonishing words. “Let us retire to our bed,” he said as he wrapped his arm around Xanatos’ shoulder and moved towards the sleeping chamber of the quarters.

Slipping the heavy robe from his shoulders, Xanatos carelessly tossed it over a chair and toed off his boots. Quickly divesting himself of the rest of his clothes, he sprawled across the large bed, shamelessly posing for the other man. Blue eyes sparkled as he propped himself on his side and beckoned to the older man. 

“Imp,” Qui-Gon chuckled as he shed the last of his own clothing and slid into bed next to his lithe lover, pulling him into his arms. Turning his face up, he caught Xanatos’ lips in a deep kiss as he used a small gesture from the Force to pull the blankets over them. 

“And all yours,” Xan replies as they broke for air. He pressed against the larger man, curling around him and laying his head on Qui-Gon’s chest. He sighed happily as strong arms surrounded him, and drifted to sleep.


	2. 53 BBY

The sun had not yet risen over the horizon when the chrono alarm went off, pulling Xanatos from dreams full of darkness. Laying in the quiet of the room, he tried to dispel the horror left over from his nightmare, taking calming breaths as he heard Qui-Gon stirring next to him. Finally, he could no longer take refuge in the remainders of sleep, and he reached out to the keypad next to the bed, activating the lights in the room. Turning to wake Qui-Gon, he found the older man's eyes open and on him, that concerned look in his eyes once again. Forestalling any questions, Xanatos leaned over, pressing his lips in a small kiss upon his Master's cheek. "We must make haste," he said. "Our transport will be waiting."

Qui-Gon reached out an arm as Xanatos moved to rise from the bed, pulling the younger man back down against him. "My Xan," he said, his fingers brushing through the dark hair of his companion to cradle his head with gentle fingers. "Your thoughts are dark. You must clear your mind and focus upon the task before us. And the joys that lay beyond." He placed a lingering kiss against Xan's lips. "Once you have completed your trials, and are knighted, we can make our bonding official."

Xanatos felt a despairing pull in his stomach, but he firmly pushed it from his thoughts and gave a smile to the man at his side. "Something I look forward to," he said. "But we cannot linger now, we should get moving."

"Of course," Qui-Gon said, finally releasing the other man, and rising from the bed and making his way towards the bathing room. Xanatos watched him for a moment, then joined him in preparing to leave. They were ready quickly, as their packs had already been prepared for the trip, and shortly they were heading out of their quarters and to the hanger below where they would find the ship to take them to Telos.

The trip from the capital planet of Coruscant to their destination was not a long one compared to other missions they had taken, but it would still take them at least 3 days to transverse the distance between the two worlds. Almost immediately, Xanatos confined himself to the small quarters they had been assigned on the ship, professing his need to meditate and find his calm center. Qui-Gon left him to it, for which he was grateful, as he had preparations he had to make for what lay ahead. It was only a slight inconvenience for him to have to hack over the security of the small transport in order to send the encrypted communications that he needed to without getting caught. Grateful for the lessons he had opted to take on computer systems and programming that was offered, but not required, at the Temple, Xanatos worked diligently to figure out how best to go about the plans that were forming in his mind.

After a few hours, Xanatos was settling onto a floor mat when the chime on the door warned him of Qui-Gon’s return. After a moment, the door slid open and the older man came into the room. Xanatos glanced up at him, and gave a small nod before closing his eyes once again and settling into a guise of meditation. He felt Qui-Gon settle beside him, the invisible tendrils of his Force energy probing around Xan’s consciousness. After a moment, they retreated, and Xan gave a mental breath of relief. Maintaining the shields necessary to hide his inner turmoil from Qui-Gon was straining to say the least, especially as he was used to being open with the other man.

They sat in silence for some time, and eventually Xanatos felt himself slipping into true meditation. He had placed into motion the events needed, and found the information that he required to finally come to the decision he had been dreading having to make. Now it was just a matter of pulling it off without tipping his hand. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was what had to be done. He just hoped he had the strength and the willpower to do what needed to be done when the time came. 

On the second day of the trip, Xanatos spent the morning in meditation and physical exercise. When he finally emerged from their cabin, he found Qui-Gon sitting with their pilot in the cockpit of the ship.

"Master," Xanatos said in way of greeting, and Qui-Gon gave him a searching glance before nodding a greeting back to him.

"Our pilot has decided to take a detour, as the region of space we needed to cross has seen several attacks on ships by pirate vessels in the last few months. But it should not add much time to our journey," Qui-Gon informed him.

"These pirates have been causing all kinds of problems," the pilot said as he punched a set of orders into his computer. "Been having to reroute constantly through this area to avoid them."

"I see," Xanatos said, his eyes glancing across the displays in the cockpit showing their location. "Troubling indeed."

"Padawan," Qui-Gon said, his speech more formal than normal in their current company. "I feel the need to speak with y..." his words were cut off by an alarm klaxon sounding in the small room, and the swearing of the pilot of his took the controls of the ship off of autopilot. "What is it?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Exactly what I was afraid of," the man replied, sweat beading on his forehead. "We're under attack." As if summoned by his words, the red glow of laser fire cut across the space in front of them, and the pilot maneuvered the ship in a desperate attempt to avoid the fire. "Hold on, we're going to have to try and outfly them, ‘cause I certainly can't outgun them."

Xanatos braced himself against the bulkhead of the ship as more laser fire came at them, and he could see from the corner of the window the large ship looming towards them. Suddenly, the three men were thrown violently as a volley of fire found its target and jolted the ship.

"Prepare to be boarded," a harsh voice crackled over the ships communications system. Their pilot cursed and attempted once again to maneuver the ship away from the attacking pirates, but it seemed to be of little use. Their pursuers were skilled at what they did, and soon the larger ship was overtaking the transport vessel. With the pilot distracted trying to maneuver away, Xanatos leapt into action, grabbing Qui-Gon's arm and pulling him forcibly from the cockpit, into the back of the ship.

"Xanatos?" Qui-Gon queried urgently as he relented to the pull of the younger man.

"The ship is being boarded, we have to do something!" Xanatos replied, releasing his Master's arm to pull the cold metal sheath of his lightsaber from under his robe. Qui-Gon mirrored his action as they turned a corner into the cargo hold of the ship and came face to face with four heavily armed men emerging from the airlock. Blaster fired pinged against the bulkhead around them, and the blaze of green and blue saber blades instantly flared to life, deflecting the bolts from the two Jedi. One of their attackers fell as a deflected bolt struck him in the midsection, but the loss seemed only to spur the remaining on even more, and soon the two Jedi found themselves being pushed back out of the cargo area of the ship.

As they passed through the door out of the hold, Xanatos slammed his hand down upon the control pad, the door sliding closed and blocking them from their attackers. He struck the pad with his lightsaber, hoping to slow them down. "This way," he said quickly, as he turned and led them to another part of the ship. Behind them, they heard the door of the hold being blasted open, and the thundering of heavy footfalls echoing in the metal halls.

Running down the hallway, they met up with the pilot of the transport who was pulling a blaster out of his jacket as he moved towards them. "Out of the way," he said gruffly as he pushed past the two Jedi. "No pirate's gonna take my ship," He let loose with a barrage of fire as the men chasing after them turned the corner, yelling curses at the top of his lungs as he tried to protect his charges. But the man was outnumbered, and soon the onslaught became too much, and a well-aimed charge hit the man square in the chest, crumpling him to the floor.

Turning, Xanatos reached out and pulled Qui-Gon through a smaller door, and before the older man could register their new surroundings, Xanatos had already activated the escape pod, the smaller craft ejecting itself from the ship and shooting off into space.

"Padawan!" Qui-Gon exclaimed, but Xanatos interrupted him.

"The pilot was dead, there was no reason for us to continue and try to protect the ship. While the pirates are docked with the transport, they can't chase after us. We should be able to make it safely away," he said. "I always make sure I have a back door," he added with a twist of his lips. Then he turned away from his Master, hiding the emotions unfurling behind his eyes, and set the pod’s computer to send them in the direction of their destination. "Telos is only a little over a day’s journey from here with the capabilities of this ship, and small enough not to attract any more unwanted attention. We should be able to make it."

They travelled in silence for some time, Xanatos watching the computer displays and occasionally adjusting their course. He could feel Qui-Gon's eyes on him, but he kept his eyes and his thoughts strictly on his task of navigating their small vessel. At last, he felt the older man slip into a meditative state, and he allowed himself to relax a little. His mind reeled with the thoughts that had been consuming him since his meeting with Master Yoda. He kept such thoughts, and the feelings accompanying them behind guarded mental walls, unwilling to let his Master sense the turmoil building inside of him. But he had made his decision before leaving Coruscant, solidified it on the journey, and he had to find the will to stick with what had been decided. The path before him was laid out, and he had to follow it to its end.

He lost track of time as the ship flew through the glowing blue of hyperspace, and soon he found himself abandoning the stiff chair of the pilot’s seat to try and stretch out a little on the cramped floor of the pod and find some semblance of comfort. Pillowing his head on his arms, he closed his eyes and tried to find enough calm to get some rest. Soon he felt the heavy warmth of Qui-Gon’s body stretching out behind him, and a strong arm dropped across his waist and pulled him close. Feigning sleep, he settled back against the comforting weight of his partner and sighed softly. He could feel Qui-Gon’s probing thoughts, but he carefully structured his thoughts into a sleepy jumble. Soon he felt the other man slipping into his own rest.

It was not much rest, but Xanatos was grateful for it as he sat once again in the pilot’s seat, adjusting and guiding their course to Telos. Qui-Gon had once again resumed his meditations in the cramped back area of the pod, and Xanatos knew that he was worried, though he did his best not to show it through his facade of calm and assurance.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the chiming of the computer console, and he turned his eyes upon the display. They were nearing their destination. With a breath to steady his thoughts, he turned towards his companion, taking a moment to simply admire the site of the older man sitting peacefully on the floor against the bulkhead, his eyes closed and his breath slow and steady. Doubts prickled in Xanatos' mind again, and he firmly pushed them aside. Kneeling next to Qui-Gon, Xanatos gently laid a hand upon his shoulder. "Master?"

The green eyes of his Master slid open and focused on him with their burning gaze, and Xanatos swallowed a lump in his throat. "We are nearing Telos. We should be arriving within the hour."  
Qui-Gon nodded, unfolding himself from his meditative posture and stretching muscles that had grown stiff from sitting too long. Xanatos returned to the pilot's seat, and a few moments later, Qui-Gon sat in the seat next to him. "You hide your thoughts from me," he said quietly. "You have since we first learned of our mission. Please tell me, my Xan, what is it that troubles you so? What are you not sharing with me?" The soft pleading in his voice was evident.

"Forgive me, my Master," Xanatos replied, not looking at the other man, knowing he might break at the compassion in the other man’s eyes.. "I am preoccupied with what lies before us. The prospect of seeing my home again, in turmoil. Of seeing my father after such a long separation." He allowed a glimmer of emotion to run across his thoughts for Qui-Gon to see, carefully constructed to give truth to his words. "I worry about starting my trials with such a mission that might become too personal. That I might disappoint the council, or worse, you." He didn’t have to fake the emotion of despair at the thought of disappointing Qui-Gon.

He felt Qui-Gon's probing thoughts, seeking the emotions behind the words, and he allowed the man to glimpse the feelings he was broadcasting for him. The Master seemed content with what he found, and he lay his hand on Xan's shoulder, pulling him close for an embrace, his lips pressing a gentle kiss against his hair before whispering next to his ear. "Do not worry my love. It will be fine."  
Xanatos wished he could believe the words.


	3. 53 BBY

They were greeted upon landing by a small group of government officials, and Xanatos followed quietly behind his Master as was expected as they were welcomed. The local officials were open with their gratitude for the Jedi in coming to their aide, and Xanatos listened carefully during the short speeder ride to the government offices as the men explained what had been happening on the planet, and what developments had occurred during the time the two Jedi had spent travelling from Coruscant.

It seemed in the time since they had left the capital of the Republic, the situation on Telos had deteriorated even more rapidly than had been expected. It really seemed as if the planet was indeed on the brink of war, and Xanatos knew the Qui-Gon feared the worst. But as always, the stoic expression of the older man gave away little of his inner feelings. By the time they had reached the expansive building that housed the main offices of the planetary government, the Jedi had been filled in on the turmoil gripping the people of the planet. It seemed as if several different factions were ready to leap to war in a struggle for power. It didn't come as a shock to him when Xanatos learned that Crion, his father, was the leader of one of the more militant factions. He could feel Qui-Gon's concern about him swell when that knowledge was revealed, and he carefully kept his own thoughts in check as he digested this news and tried to figure out how he could use this development to his advantage.

"Right this way, Master Jinn," one of the men said as he led them into a meeting hall where several more men waited, sitting around a large conference table. "The leaders of the different factions have agreed to a joint meeting to try and resolve our differences."

Xanatos took a deep breath, and followed his Master into the room, his eyes immediately seeking out the faces of the other men in the room, searching. At last, he saw who he was looking for. Seated at the far end of the table, and looking much older than he did in memory, was Crion. Time had not been kind to the man, and Xanatos had trouble seeing his relation to this man. Though apparently, Crion had no such problems, and he immediately rose from the table upon seeing his son, making his way over to them.

"Xanatos, my son!" Crion said, drawing several looks from the other men around the table. The news that one of their impartial negotiators was the son of a faction's leader could not have been welcome news, and Xanatos saw many of them shuffling nervously.

"Father," Xanatos said quietly, not outwardly showing any type of affection towards the other man. Crion seemed to be alright with this, and clapped his hand upon his son's shoulder.

"You have grown into a fine young man it seems. It is good to welcome you home. Come, sit by me."

"Thank you sir," Xanatos replied, "but I should be seated with my Master." Putting action to words, he shifted, the older man's hand falling from his shoulder, and moved to stand next to Qui-Gon. A flash of disappointment crossed the other man's face, but he nodded and resumed his own seat as Qui-Gon and Xanatos moved to take their own places at the table.

"Gentleman," Qui-Gon began, his voice sure and steady, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. We hope to be able to resolve your disagreements, and avoid the conflict brewing amongst your people. War is never a good option, either for the people of a world, or for the Republic as a whole."

"What does the Republic care for us?" One of the men shouted. "They allow the atrocities of the government to continue, and only send us aid when we try to take arms against our oppressors!"

"Watch your tongue Tomas," one of the other men replied heatedly. "Your own group's leaders have committed plenty of their own 'atrocities'. You have no leg to stand on."

"You dare..."

"Gentleman," Qui-Gon said again, his voice ringing with authority. "Let us not fall into heated accusations and anger so quickly. We are here to calmly and rationally discuss the issues at hand." The tone of Qui-Gon's voice made it quite clear that he was in charge of this meeting, and it seemed to register with the arguing men, who quieted. "Thank you. Now then, let us begin."

It was several long and uneventful hours later that Qui-Gon called a recess of their meeting, and Xanatos was grateful for the break. Listening to these hot-tempered men argue back and forth over pointless accusations of greed and corruption was grating on his nerves. He could tell that nothing would be settled here today, but Qui-Gon seemed insistent upon trying to continue to get the men to peacefully resolve their differences. It seemed a pointless endeavor.

As the men filed out of the room, Xanatos stood from his seat at the table, moving to a large window overlooking the city, his arms folded across his chest as he contemplated the situation. The streets below were subdued, the very atmosphere of the place reeked of the chaos that was looming on the horizon. He felt Qui-Gon come to stand beside him, the calming waves exuding from is Force energy surrounding him, but he didn't turn to face the older man. "Tensions are running very high amongst these men, Master," he said quietly. "I fear a diplomatic solution may be too much to hope for."

"We must still do our best to try and avoid an armed conflict," the other man replied, and Xanatos nodded.

"If you would excuse me, my Master, I think I would like to step outside and get some air."

"Of course, just make sure you are back before negotiations resume."

"Thank you Master," Xanatos said, and turned to leave the room. He was startled when a hand on his shoulder stopped his step, and he was spun around to face the older man. He found himself pulled into an embrace, and Qui-Gon's lips upon his in an unexpected kiss. He was startled by the show of emotion from his Master, as they typically did not share such an embrace outside of the privacy of their quarters. He found himself responding to the older man, and his arms instinctively wrapped around Qui-Gon's waist. For that brief moment, all of the decisions and doubts and fears that had been plaguing him since Coruscant threatened to bubble to the surface, and he found himself clinging to his partner in a desperate attempt to deny everything that was happening around him.

After a moment, they broke apart, and Xan found himself held by the piercing green gaze of his Master and lover. “Don’t leave me,” Qui-Gon whispered as he rested his forehead against his younger companion’s, his voice thick with emotions that were usually held in check.

“I was only going out for some air, Master…” Xanatos breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I know,” Qui-Gon responded with a small sigh, and then released the younger man, turning away to look out the window again. For a moment, Xan stared at the older man’s back, wondering how much of the truth of the situation was making itself known to Qui-Gon, if he suspected what might be happening. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Xanatos turned and made his way out of the conference room, his breath shaky has he fought to regain his calm center.

As the door closed behind him, Xan shut his eyes and forced his emotions into check. He had to find his resolve to stick to the decision he had made. It was too late now for him to back out and reject this path.

“Xanatos,” a voice beside him almost made him jump. He was so lost in his own thoughts he hadn’t even noticed the man waiting outside the conference room. He turned, and found himself face to face with his father. “Walk with me son,” he said as he began moving down the long hallway.

Falling into step with the older man, Xanatos kept his eyes on the floor, but his mind was carefully probing the thoughts and emotions of the man beside him. There was no doubt the man was ambitious, proud, and filled with what he felt was great ideas for the future of his planet. Ideas, no doubt, that coincided with his own self-interests.

“I’ve kept tabs on your progress since you left home,” Crion said. “You’ve done well for yourself my son.”

“I’ve dedicated my life to the service of the Republic, and the Jedi,” Xanatos replied quietly. “It is an honor to serve such a noble cause.”

“Of course,” the older man said in a gruff voice. “Although I think you should have stayed on Telos. You could have found yourself in quite a powerful position. You still could…”

Xanatos stopped walking, drawing the older man’s attention. “Forgive me sir, but you allowed me to go and study at the Temple. I needed to learn how to control and use my abilities. It was the best choice for me.”

“Perhaps,” Crion replied, as he turned and continued walking. “But then perhaps you have learned all you need to know there. You could do so much right here, my son.” Crion fell silent after that, stopping to rest next to an elaborate fountain that was no longer functioning.

Xanatos watched his father, trying to judge the tone of the older man’s thoughts and plans. He was quite closed off, not allowing his emotions to be evident, but then, he had always been that way. Xanatos could not remember his father ever expressing any type of emotion. Despite the fact that he hadn’t seen his parents since he had gone to the Jedi Temple as a child, he did have a few memories of how his life had been with the strict man.

“You’re hoping for a war, aren’t you?” Xanatos asked quietly, not surprised when Crion turned sharply and eyed him warily. “You believe you would come out on top. Maybe even take over the planet.” Crion eyed him, then smiled menacingly.

“Of course I could,” he said after a moment. “I have the support of a number of the planetary factions. I could rule this planet.” He turned piercing eyes on his son. “And you could stand beside me and share in that power. Leave the Jedi behind. They are only holding you back. Join me, son. Together we can make Telos the power that it once was.” He extended a hand towards the younger man, the smirk on his face an eerie echo of the one Xanatos normally sported.

For a moment Xanatos was shaken, but he did not allow it to show. Straightening his shoulders, he ignored the proffered hand and instead gave a slight bow, his hands folded into the sleeves of his robe. “Excuse me father, I must be returning to the conference room, we are due to resume talks shortly.”

“We’ll talk later Xanatos,” was all Crion said before turning away and moving back towards the building.

Xanatos stood looking out the windows of the government tower in which Qui-Gon and he had been given quarters. Night had fallen over the capital city, and the farce of negotiations that day had gotten nowhere. He knew civil war was inevitable, and despite the fact that it would cause destabilization in this system, Xanatos knew that there was no way it could be avoided. And for him, it provided the perfect opportunity to do what he must in order to start his mission.

A movement in the reflection from the window caught his eye, and he silently acknowledged the presence of his master behind him. Qui-Gon came to stand directly behind him, hands rising to rest on the younger man’s shoulders. Xan could feel waves of calming emotions flowing across the Force from his master. It was hard for him to hide his conflicting emotions from his Master and lover, although he believed he was successfully hiding the important details that Qui-Gon couldn’t know about.

“War is coming, Qui-Gon,” Xanatos said quietly as he leaned back against the man’s chest, hands rising to grasp the larger ones that rested on his shoulders. “I don’t believe you or I can stop it. These men are determined to shed blood.”

“I fear that you may be right,” Qui-Gon replied as he rested his cheek against the younger man’s hair. “But we will try again tomorrow. We must continue to attempt a diplomatic solution.” The hands on Xan’s shoulders pressed gently, turning him to face the older man. One hand rose to brush softly against a pale cheek. “Are you alright, my love? You have been closed off all day.”

Dropping his eyes from that green gaze, Xan allowed his carefully constructed emotions to flow from his mind to Qui-Gon’s, fear, worry, despair, loyalty, love… “Crion wants war,” he said quietly, almost a whisper. “He wants to rule the planet.” Xanatos sighed deeply, then turned his eyes up to meet Qui-Gon’s. “He asked me to leave the Jedi and join him.” Qui-Gon nodded, a sad smile on his lips silently telling him that the turmoil was understood.

“I sensed his intention to do so. The man is proud, and that pride is something that we must be wary of.”

Xanatos pulled away from the older man, moving into the sleeping quarters of their rooms. He sensed the other man following behind him. No more words were spoken between them as they prepared for bed, although Xanatos could feel the continuing flow of calming and reassuring emotions from Qui-Gon. He wished he could give in to those emotions, to let them wash over him and reassure him. To let himself be cradled in their warm embrace.

Xanatos made quick work in the refresher, emerging as he was toweling his hair dry. He sat on the edge of the bed as he watched Qui-Gon finish preparing for rest. Finally the older man came to sit next to him, comb in hand, and gestured for Xan to kneel on the floor. “Let me,” he said. Xanatos gave a sad smile, and then settled on the floor in front of his master. He allowed his eyes to fall closed as he felt the gentle pulling of the comb through the long strands of his hair. Most padawans kept their hair short, aside from the traditional braid, but that was never a style Xanatos preferred. He liked his hair long. And he especially loved tender moments like this, when Qui-Gon pampered him in such a way. After a few moments, he felt those beloved hands fingering through the dark strands, quickly but expertly twisting a length over his right ear into the traditional padawan braid. The rest of the length was pulled into a low ponytail to keep out of his way for sleep.

Turning his face up to give the man a small smile, Xanatos slid up until he could rest on the bed, stretching out and pulling Qui-Gon down against him. As they settled into bed, Xanatos pushed himself against his lover, slender arms wrapping around his waist, and his head resting against the other man’s chest. He sighed as he felt strong arms wrap around him. Turning his head up, he caught Qui-Gon’s lips in a kiss, pouring all of his passion and love into the gesture. He needed this tonight. He needed to get what he knew might be his final taste of this love. After this mission, he might never see the man again.

Whether Qui-Gon could sense the reasons behind the sudden burst of passion, Xan couldn’t tell, but he responded to the younger man’s touches and silent pleading, pulling the smaller body against him. They moved together, sharing an expression of their love of each other. Qui-Gon took his lover with a passion that made Xan wonder if he knew this might be their last time together. The press of the larger body against him, filling and enveloping him made Xan wish with everything he had that they could stay in this moment forever. As he found his release, a tear slipped from his eye, and he curled onto his side, savoring the feeling of the warm body wrapping around him and holding him tight.

Sated and loved, Xan fell into slumber.

Darkness invaded his dreams. Pain, betrayal, death. A loud boom shook him from his nightmare, and Xanatos shot up in the bed. Qui-Gon was already awake and dressing, and Xanatos hurried to join him, throwing the covers from his body and jumping to his feet.

“There is fighting in the streets. We must meet with the faction leaders immediately and try to talk them down.” Qui-Gon said as Xanatos dressed quickly, making sure his weapon was secure at his side. He noticed Qui-Gon doing the same. While their goal was to avoid battle, it was necessary to be prepared. Xanatos did his best to steady his thoughts and emotions. This might just be the crucial moment. They left their rooms, hurrying to the council rooms to find the leaders of those fighting below. Even within the thick walls of the building, they could hear the gunfire and small explosions from the battle waging in the streets.

Running into the council chamber that they had used earlier for negotiations, they found one of the faction leaders strapping weapons to his belt. His head shot up at the entrance of the two Jedi, his hand shooting to the weapon at his side. He relaxed only slightly when he recognized the two men. “You’d better get out of here, Jedi,” he said gruffly. “Negotiations are no longer in question. It’s all over now.”

“What happened?” Qui-Gon questioned, grabbing the man’s arm to stop him from leaving the room.

“Crion.” Xanatos’ stomach tightened into a hard knot at the mention of his father’s name. The man continued, unaware of the younger Jedi’s discomfort. “He organized the assassination of one of the other faction leaders, Tomas. Tomas’ followers are rioting now, and everything has dissolved into chaos. That man is insane.” With that said, he ran from the room, already pulling his weapon from its holster as he hurried down to join the fray below.

“We should find Crion,” Xanatos said to his Master. “Maybe we can still talk him down from what he’s doing. Perhaps the situation can be salvaged.”

Qui-Gon eyed his companion with a piercing gaze, but nodded. “I agree. However, we should be prepared for him to not listen to us. You said yourself, this is what he wanted.” He reached out, grabbing Xanatos’ arm before he could move from the room. “Be careful, my Xan. I sense darkness surrounding everything here.” Xan swallowed the lump in his throat, and nodded.

As they made their way from the meeting room, Qui-Gon extended his awareness of the Force around him. “He’s still in the building, though I cannot pinpoint where he is at.” They began their search, systematically moving through the building looking for the man. Eventually their search took them to one of the highest floors of the tower building. As they exited the lift, Qui-Gon silently gestured for Xan to follow the maze of hallways to their left, as he took the right. Nodding his understanding, Xan began to search the offices and rooms that made up the executive offices of the building. He let his mental awareness keep him in touch with his Master as their search continued through the building. 

Even as he continued his search, Xanatos was racing through different scenarios and situations in his mind. How might this coming confrontation go? How could he use it to his advantage? What would he need to do in order to set up the situation he would need to enact the plans he had already firmly resolved himself to doing? There was no way to know what was going to happen in the next few minutes, and Xanatos knew he would have to be able to think and react quickly to whatever opportunities presented themselves. And so he steeled himself for what was to come, steadying his thoughts so that he could think clearly and quickly when he needed to. 

He was instantly aware when Qui-Gon became highly alert, and he raced back through the halls to find his Master. Even before he found the older Jedi, Xanatos could tell the situation had gone from bad to worse. Qui-Gon was tense, focused. This was the moment. Xanatos knew it was now that he had to make his final decision, once and for all. All of his fears, doubts, and nightmares raced through his thoughts as he ran through the halls. Every action, decision, and vision was analyzed and reanalyzed in those seconds. And even before he crashed through the door, he knew what it was that he would find, and how the next few moments would play out.

Shoving his way through the door that led to the massive room that topped the tower, Xanatos saw his visions coming to life. Qui-Gon was in fierce battle with Crion, who was obviously fighting to kill, his blaster pinging with deadly accuracy towards the Jedi, who was expertly deflecting the blasts. Saber already alit and in hand, Xanatos ran towards the fighting pair, but he was not fast enough to reach them before what he knew was the inevitable outcome. With a slash of the green blade in the Master’s hands, Crion fell to the ground from the fatal blow, the light in his eyes extinguished before he even hit the ground.

With a silent apology for everything that was about to happen, and remorse for the pain he knew he was about to cause the man who held his heart, Xanatos allowed feelings of anger and betrayal to explode from his mind, directed at the man to whom he had pledged his loyalty and love. Tears flowed unbidden from his eyes as he conjured up every ounce of strength he could find within him and pushed unfamiliar anger and hate across the bond with his Master.

Qui-Gon turned at the onslaught coming across their mental bond, his green eyes weary with the pain of having to take life, and shock and pain emanating from his thoughts at the feelings being fed to him by the younger man.. Xanatos didn’t allow himself to meet that gaze, but raised his weapon and leapt at the older man, slashing at him with the glowing blade. Instinctively, Qui-Gon deflected the blow, knocking him aside with a short burst of Force energy. “Xanatos!” he bellowed, his voice deep and full of pain.

“You killed him! He was my father!” Xanatos shouted back at him. He let feigned emotions of loyalty and love for the fallen man fill his thoughts, broadcasting them at the top of his mind for Qui-Gon to hear as he swung his blade around again. “You killed him!”

Qui-Gon again parried the blow with ease. “I will not fight you,” he said as he deactivated his own blade, facing the younger man and reaching a hand out to grasp his arm, attempting to pull him close. “Talk to me. Tell me what is going on. This is not who you are. Let me help you.”

Xanatos filled his thoughts with anger again, his blade still humming in his hand. “No. You’ve done enough already.” Pulling away from the older man’s grasp, he swung again, but pulled short of striking the older man, the blade humming inches from Qui-Gon’s side. “Get away from me! Get out of here!” Xanatos screamed as he dropped the weapon and turned away from Qui-Gon, as much to emphasize his words as to hide the tears that were continuing to fall from his eyes. He dropped to his knees next to his fallen father, eyes falling upon the ring that lay next his him, the metal severed from the heat of the lightsaber slicing through the hand that wore it. It still glowed faintly from the heat. Carefully, he took it up in his hand, pressing the glowing metal against the skin of his cheek, hissing at the pain of burning flesh. A symbol to remind him of everything he was fighting for. A circle broken, incomplete and always reaching for its other end. Exactly what he was making himself. He felt Qui-Gon’s mind pressing against his, seeking a connection that had never been denied. Xanatos pushed against that awareness, shoving Qui-Gon’s probing thoughts from him and slamming down mental shields that would keep the other man from penetrating his thoughts. “Leave me alone!”

Gathering all of the strength he could muster, Xanatos pushed Qui-Gon physically away with the Force, catching the older man by surprise and flinging him across the room to land crumpled against the far wall. He heard Qui-Gon pull himself back to his feet, moving back towards him. Before he could question or doubt his own actions, Xanatos reached deep into his own mind, finding the glowing bond that symbolized his connection to his Master and lover. Taking all of his energy and focus, he ripped the bond from his mind, the searing agony of the action almost causing him to black out as the comforting presence that had been with him since he was a child was suddenly gone, leaving a jagged wound in his mind. Behind him, he heard Qui-Gon fall to his knees as the pain ripped through his mind as well. 

Minutes passed in silence, and then Xanatos became aware of Qui-Gon stirring. And then he turned and left. For the first time since he became a Jedi, since he had begun a training bond with Master Qui-Gon Jinn, since he had pledged himself to be forever bonded to the man, Xanatos found himself completely alone. He cried into the silence that surrounded him.


	4. 51 BBY

“Forgive me for bothering you sir,” the voice over the intercom broke the silence that had been festering for far too long. The broken circle scar on pale skin jumped as Xanatos flinched at the sudden noise, and he reached out to hit the switch on the desk that would allow him to respond.

“What is it?” Xanatos asked as he settled himself again, pushing the data pad he had been studying away from him and rubbing his fingers against his tired eyes.

“A private communique has arrived for you sir,” the voice responded. “It’s not over the communications system, but on a pad that has been delivered.”

“Bring it in,” Xanatos said, then turned off the intercom. Standing and stretching muscles sore from sitting hunched over his computer for too many hours, Xanatos moved to look out of the windows of the building that housed his office. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city, overlooking the hustle and bustle of Telos’ capital city. His eyes instinctively avoided the direction of the tower to the left, where he had fought with his Master and lover two years previously. Behind him, he heard the door sliding open, and the secretary placing the pad on the desk before leaving without a word. 

Turning away from the window, Xanatos glanced at the pad on the desk, before picking it up and moving to sit in one of the plush armchairs that sat in the corner of the spacious office. Activating the device, he found it was keyed with several security checks, designed to make sure no one except the intended recipient was able to access the message. Such safe measures were necessary, at least until he could get the encrypted communications channels he wanted set up. But those were proving troublesome.

After a moment, the message unlocked, and he read through the contents with interest. It wasn’t signed, nor did it contain any information on who it might be from. What it did have was several pieces of information that could be very useful for him. And this wasn’t the first of such communications he had received. He had spent the last two years since his divergence from the Jedi building and consolidating his power and influence. It had begun by taking over his father’s interests on Telos, but he had quickly expanded and developed the businesses, and added several more under the umbrella of his growing power. Now his influence reached beyond this one planet, and into several nearby systems. With any luck, he would soon be able to extend further.

The communique in his hand had information about several different business interests that might help him with that goal, and pieces of blackmail worthy scandal or people susceptible to bribes that he could use to his advantage. With any luck, he would be able to utilize this information and bring several more companies under his control. He already had several communications, mining, and trading companies that he controlled through various avenues, as well as several more clandestine ventures. Offworld Corporation was steadily growing into one of the most prosperous, and powerful, organizations in the sector. He had even begun to have influence in the Galactic Senate, though his name was never mentioned.

Shutting off the pad, he tossed it to the side and rubbed his palm across his face. He would have to come back to that later, when he could work out how to verify and use the information. Outside the windows, the sun was finally falling below the horizon, the sky darkening as the lights of the city rose. Deciding that he was done for the day, Xanatos made his way, via the private elevator in his office, to his private rooms above.

Sliding the black robe from his shoulders and draping it over a chair, he prepared himself a quick meal and poured a glass of fine Corellian wine. Sipping at the drink, he sat in silence, his mind sliding through the river of thoughts that occasionally plagued him after a long day. The information he received today would definitely be helpful to him, though he wondered at the source. Tomorrow he would have to corroborate some of the information and make sure it was valid. Thankfully he had developed several contacts that would make that task a bit easier.

Sighing, he also realized that it had been far too long since he had sent a message to his other contact on Coruscant, and even longer since a face-to-face meeting had been conducted. He resigned himself to setting that up as well, although it was never easy to arrange the secretive meetings, with only three happening in the last two years. But it was necessary.

Finishing his meal, he refilled his glass of wine and moved to the sitting room, stretching out across one of the lush divans and taking up his journal and pen, making a few personal notes as he sipped at the fruity wine. His mind wandered over the events of the last few years, carefully avoiding the still aching wound in his mind where his bond with Qui-Gon had once glowed. It had been difficult, adapting to life outside of the Jedi, and walking the path between light and dark, but he had quickly learned and developed the skills necessary. And now he was one of the most powerful men on this planet, in this sector, and was quickly making strides in other areas.

Draining the glass, he rose and made his way to the sleeping chambers, stripping off his tunic and leggings before collapsing onto the large bed. His thoughts whirled, and he found himself stroking one hand down across his abdomen, very carefully not thinking about a set of larger hands and compassionate green eyes as he sought comfort in his own touch

The next morning Xanatos groaned as the chrono alarm sounded, pulling him from the first dreamless sleep he had had in what felt like ages. Slamming his hand in the direction of the control panel, he managed to silence the alarm, and pulled a pillow over his head as he tried in vain to get back the last fleeting moments of sleep. But eventually he could no longer linger, and resigned himself to beginning his day.

Dressing in a simple pair of loose pants, he began his morning katas, stretching and warming lean muscles as he moved through the flowing motions of the exercise. The focus on his movements allowed him to clear his mind of the troubles and worries that always seemed to gather. By the time he had worked through the routine, he felt himself relaxing and reaching a state of calm. A quick shower, and then he was dressed and sipping his morning tea as he began working through his agenda for the day.

First and foremost, he needed to set up a meeting with his contact on Coruscant. That would take a bit of time, as the security channels he would have to get through and the systems he would have to hack into were not the easiest to navigate. It would be no problem for him to set his own sources to corroborate the information he had received the day before, and he quickly sent off some messages to have a few of his employees meet him in his office later. Aside from that, he actually had very little to do today, and as it appeared he might have to travel off-planet soon, he cleared his schedule for the next few weeks.

Before long, he was making his way downstairs to his office. He found his associates already waiting for him, and he quickly gave them their assignments, instructing them to send their reports through the usual secure channels. Once they were gone, he locked down his office, and instructed his personal secretary that he was not to be disturbed, no matter what.

As soon as he was certain that the office was secure, Xanatos sat behind his desk and fired up the computer. He quickly set up the anti-tracing program that he had designed to keep people from tracking his digital signal back to this office, as well as the facial distortion software that would hide his identity when using the holographic interface. Then he set to work getting into the Coruscant government systems. It took a bit of hacking, but luckily he knew several backdoors and workarounds that he had exploited before, and he was able to get into the system in less than two hours. After that it was just a matter of finding the right communication path and waiting for his message to be answered.

While he waited for his contact to answer his message, Xanatos sent a note to have his personal ship readied for departure, then began working on composing messages to several of the companies he had received information about in order to begin preparing the way to acquiring them under his control.

It was almost an hour and a half later when his console beeped, signaling that his message was being answered. Flipping a switch, he activated the channel with the holographic interface. “Greetings,” he said, “how is the weather there my friend?”

“Gloomy, it is, but brightening” a voice responded with the prearranged answer to the question, letting Xanatos know that he was reaching the right person. He smirked at the clandestine action. Soon they had arranged their meeting, two days from now in the abandoned underground city on Yavin Four. Closing out the communications link, Xanatos sat back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. The Yavin system was only a short journey from Telos, so he had plenty of time to prepare for the meeting, though he wanted to arrive at the meeting place well ahead of schedule in order to make sure all would be secure. He would leave that evening.

Pulling up the communication relay once again, Xanatos hit the commands that would put him in contact with his second in command at Offworld, a rather reliable and discreet man who had worked with his father. “Chako,” Xanatos said as the link opened. “I’m going to be going off-planet for a few days to take care of personal business.”

“Of course sir,” the other man said. “Is there anything you need me to take care of for you?”

“Not at the moment, though I have a few people out gathering information for me on some possible acquisitions, so just keep tabs on them for me. I’ll send you the information.”

“Yes sir.”

Xanatos shut off the line, and stood, leaving the office to put together a small pack for his trip to Yavin. Most of what he would need he would already have on board his private ship, but there were a few things he needed to grab from his personal rooms. Most notably the lightsaber that he still wore clipped to his side. As he took it in his hands, he sighed, then activated the blade. The deep red glow that greeted him was something that he detested, but marked him for what he was. A rogue, one of the fallen. It had taken a concentrated burst of dark Force energy to bleed the crystal and cause the change in color from blue to red, but it had been necessary, as much as he hated to damage the valuable kyber. Powering down the weapon, he clipped it onto his belt, then finished gathering up the rest of his things. Bringing the pack back down to his office, he laid it by the door and then returned to his desk.

It was several hours later that he finally decided he could not put off the inevitable any longer. Powering down the systems in his office, and dimming the lights, he grabbed the pack from the floor and made his way out of the building and to the private port where his personal ship was waiting. Waving a greeting to the port workers that readied everything, he boarded the ship, making his way to the cockpit, and beginning his journey.


	5. 47 BBY

“No, no no…” Xanatos cursed as he slammed his hand against the bulkhead of his small ship. He was only hours out of Kal’Shebbol, and the damned navigation system of the craft had begun acting up. And the last thing he wanted was to be trapped out this far in the Outer Rim. 

Taking a calming breath, he once again turned towards the navigation console and began typing in commands, searching for the root of the problem in the system. It just didn’t make sense. The craft had been inspected and updated only weeks ago. It hadn’t shown any problems, aside from the fuel injector problem that he had fixed at the port on Kal’Shebbol after he had finished with his trading business there. But the dockmaster, a man he had worked with several times before, had assured him that it was repaired.

Going through the codes in the navigational computer, he began trying to figure out where the problem was. Xanatos hadn’t even realized at first that there had been a problem. The computer had shown him as being on course for Andosha II, but when he had checked his sensors against a star map, he wasn’t anywhere near where he should have been. And he couldn’t quite tell where he was. The further points on the Outer Rim weren’t quite as well mapped.

“Shab!” Xanatos pushed away from the console in frustration. Until he could get this fixed, he was dead in the water. He couldn’t risk going the wrong direction and ending up in wild space. Seeing no other alternative at the moment, he set up a distress hail. Maybe with some luck, a passing ship would stop, and could at least give him his bearings. Thankfully he had several dealings in this part of the Rim, and his name was well enough known that he shouldn’t have too many problems.

With a frustrated growl, he left the cockpit and made his way to the small space behind it where the computer components were housed. Maybe if he had a spare navigational sensor, he could just replace the whole Sith-spawned thing. He began sorting through the storage bins, looking to see what he had available.

Usually he didn’t like travelling this far from Telos or the Core worlds, but certain opportunities had recently presented themselves out in these regions, and he had decided to check them out. Not to mention it made a convenient chance to meet up with his contact from Coruscant in a remote, and secure, location. That stop had been made on his way to Kal’Shebbol, luckily the planets were not far from each other. And now he had just finished some rather lucrative trade deals with the pirate and smuggler groups in the Outer Rim, and was on his way to check on some recent mining deals on Andosha when his nav system failed. 

He was just about ready to give up on the search for spare parts when he heard the ping that indicated an incoming message on the comm. With a silent prayer that he might be in luck, he returned to the cockpit and punched the button to open the channel.

“Ship in distress,” a mechanical voice, most likely a droid, said. “What is your emergency?”

“This is the captain of the personal craft Telios Star,” Xanatos said as a means of identification. “My nav computer has burned out and I’m afraid I’ve gotten a bit turned around.”

“What is your destination?”

“I’m headed towards the Mid Rim, out of Kal’Shebbol.”

“You’re a ways off,” the droid responded, and Xanatos grimaced. Before he could respond, the voice returned. “You are less than half a parsec from the Outer Rim world of Mustafar. A guide craft has been dispatched to lead you down. Repairs to your system can be made here.”

“Thank you for assistance,” Xanatos said before switching off the channel. Leaning back in his seat, he frowned. Something was not right here. First his nav system inexplicably fails, sending him drastically off course, and then he just happens to come upon a friendly offer of help in the middle of the Outer Rim? No, there was something more going on. Turning to his main computer, he punched up the Coruscant network and looked up what information he could find on the planet Mustafar.

By the time the guide craft arrived and led him to the landing platform on the hellish planet, Xanatos was not much the wiser for why he was seemingly being led to this place. But he was on high alert as he clipped his saber to his belt and exited the small craft. The oppressive heat from the nearby lava flows nearly choked him, but he cleared his eyes and throat as a multi-limbed droid approached.

“I am TD-D9,” the droid said. “Follow me.” The droid instructed as it turned and made its way into a building adjoining the landing pad.

As Xanatos followed the droid into the complex, he looked around to try and judge where, exactly, he might be. But it looked pretty much the same as any other mining facility hub in these parts of the Outer Rim. Something pressed in against his Force senses however, and he couldn’t suppress the feeling that there was Darkness here.

“I appreciate the help,” he said nonchalantly as the droid led him to a room that had obviously been set up to receive guests. “I did fear I may have ended up drifting for days this far out in the Rim.”

“Wait here,” the droid said, not acknowledging his words. “Refreshments will be brought while your ship is repaired.” Then it left through the same door which they had entered, the heavy metal of the door sliding closed with a clang

Shrugging, Xanatos took a seat around the small table and closed his eyes. He allowed his senses to drift, trying to ascertain the feelings of Darkness he could sense in this place. It was like an itch just beyond the edge of his reach, and it was frustrating him. As he heard the door sliding open again, he came back to himself and opened his eyes. Moving into the room carrying a tray of refreshments was a young Zabrak boy. As the boy pushed the tray onto the table, Xanatos reached out with his Force sense, and had to control his physical recoil at the Darkness that seemed to envelope the young mind. This young boy was not only Force-sensitive, but being trained in Darkness.

“Thank you,” he said lightly, watching the boy. But the youngling merely grimaced and turned to leave the room without a word spoken.

For a few minutes, Xanatos simply sat. Then he began to grow restless. Just as he was about to key the pad to open the door, it slid open with another clang. The droid from before stood on the other side.

“I’d like to be taken back to my ship now,” Xanatos stated rather firmly. He was starting to become rather agitated about being here, his Force senses becoming more and more jangled by the moment. “I prefer to oversee any repairs that need to be made.”

“Your navigation system has already been repaired. Our diagnostic droids discovered a faulty connection in your nav sensors very quickly.”As the droid spoke, Xanatos followed it through the hallways and back out onto the landing platform.

“What can I do to repay you for the help?” Xanatos asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. This was going to be where he learned the reason he was brought here, he was sure of it.

“We’ll collect later,” was all TD-D9 said as it turned and walked away, leaving Xanatos alone on the platform.


	6. 44 BBY

Xanatos sat silently, staring at the data pad he held in his hands. He had read the communique a dozen times over at least, and still he could not bring himself to think about what the words meant. With a frustrated growl, he threw the pad against the bulkhead of his small ship, his lips quirking with satisfaction at the violent expression of his frustration. Of course, it didn’t solve the problem he was facing now, but at least it had felt good. The smile didn’t stay long on his face, as the dark expression he had sported since his first reading of the message soon returned. 

Pushing himself out of his seat, he shifted over to the navigation console and punched in the coordinates for the planet he was being sent to. It was a two-day journey from where he currently was, but that would give him time to figure out how he was going to accomplish his goals. Not to mention time to prepare him for the emotional turmoil that he was sure to face when he got there.

It had been nine years since that night on Telos when he had separated himself from his Master, and began his own journey walking the line between light and dark. Nine years of organizing and building his power and influence among some less than desirable forces. Nine years since he had stepped into his late father’s shoes and taken over his empire of business and military assets.

And now he was being asked to deliberately seek out his former Master and lover. It wasn’t going to be an easy meeting, for either of them. But there were those who believed it was necessary. And as much as Xanatos dreaded the moment they came face-to-face once again, he could see himself that something needed to be done. But how in all Sith hells was he going to be able to face the man once again? To show the confidence and cockiness, the arrogance that he had adopted in his manner? Could he keep himself from breaking down?

Scowling, he moved out of his seat and grabbed the discarded data pad from where it had fallen on the floor after his childish display. Tapping the display, he once again brought up the message that had been sent to him through a variety of coded channels and dummy relays. It was sparsely worded, but very clear in its meaning. Qui-Gon was suffering, even still. Not that Xanatos didn’t understand that, he was as well. But the Jedi needed Qui-Gon, and he wasn’t able to let go of the past. Setting the ship on autopilot, Xanatos left the cockpit of the small vessel and went back to the living quarters and poured himself a glass of wine before settling into a comfortable chair by his workstation.

Accessing his computer, he recalled the data files on his company’s mining interests. Offworld Corporation, the umbrella company of many business ventures that he had inherited and advanced, had quite a few interests that could easily explain his presence on that desolate mining planet he was being sent to. He sent off a few messages and instructions to his second-in-command, and then shut down the computer.

Pushing away from the desk, Xanatos brushed his hand over his eyes, carding his fingers through the black hair that had grown long, hanging almost to his waist. He found himself unconsciously fingering the strands of hair that used to make up the symbolic braid that hung behind his right ear, his mind unconsciously wandering back to the last time that braid had been woven into his hair. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly pulled his hand away and berated himself for the action. He couldn’t allow himself to show such weakness, especially when he faced Qui-Gon.

After draining his cup of wine, Xanatos decided to try and settle into sleep for the night. A quick check that the ship was navigating well enough on its own, and then he slipped into his bunk. But when he did find sleep, it was plagued with nightmare images that he hadn’t had for several years. Flashes of images from that last night on Telos so long ago. The remembrance of pain from when he had turned against his lover and ripped out their bond. The feeling of despair and longing as he remembered the last night he had spent in the arms of the man he loved. Of bleeding the crystal that Qui-Gon had helped him to mine and craft...

Xanatos sighed as he woke, knowing that sleep would be futile over the next few days. Too many memories that were being dredged to the surface. Too much pain.

Throwing off the covers, Xanatos slipped into the shower. Most ships had only sonic showers, but a shower with real water was one luxury that Xanatos insisted on in his personal vessel. And so he turned the water on as hot as was tolerable and stood under the spray and steam. Closing his eyes, he let the water run over his face, the stinging of the hot water on his skin distracting him from the dark thoughts that plagued him. He fought to find a calm center, compartmentalizing his thoughts, fears, and memories, shoving them into boxes of his mind that he could close tightly and ignore.

When his thoughts had settled enough, he quickly washed his body and hair, then stepped out of the spray, wrapping a warm towel around his thin frame. He stood in front of the long mirror that hung on the wall near the shower and looked hard at himself. He had kept up with his physical training, and so his body was thin, yet muscular. But pale. He had always been so, but it seemed he had lost any color that he had previously had. Most likely due to spending his time on ships or in offices. But the paleness only enhanced, in his personal opinion, his overall appeal. And it was offset quite handsomely by the bright blue of his eyes and the long, black hair that framed his face and torso. The only part of the image reflected back at him that he avoided looking at was the scar that marred the skin of his cheek. But now he forced himself to look at that mark. He needed the reminder of what he was fighting for. He needed to remember why he must maintain his strength, his defenses. With a sigh, Xanatos took up a drying brush and ran it through his hair, then quickly braided the long mass to keep it out of his face.

From his small closet he pulled a pair of loose pants and after slipping into them, decided to work through a series of katas in place of the dark dreams of sleep. Pushing the few pieces of furniture to the walls he settled into his exercise, moving gracefully through the positions and stances of a meditative exercise. The focus on the familiar moves allowed him to clear his mind, finding a semblance of peace that he clung to with all the force of his will. After finishing the set, he settled onto his knees, hands upon his thighs as he sought to maintain the meditative state he had achieved.

In this calmed state, he was able to begin to really think about the task ahead, able to concentrate on the goals and what was needed to accomplish them. The communique he had received that morning told him of how his former Master was not moving past his own emotions of loss and guilt, and even anger, that had formed after Xanatos had turned. How a promising young initiate could be the one to help Qui-Gon work through his grief, an initiate who was facing a future outside of the Jedi if a master didn’t take him as a Padawan soon.

The plan was to covertly create a situation in which Qui-Gon would get past his own stubbornness and allow the boy into his life, to give them both a future that would be better for them, and the Jedi. If he examined it too deeply, Xanatos knew that he was conflicted on the problem. While he understood that Qui-Gon needed to move on, to get past his emotions of what happened between them, he also held a feeling of anger at the thought of his place in Qui-Gon’s life being replaced by another. And to make it worse, he was being asked to make that replacement happen.

Qui-Gon was being sent to negotiate a mining dispute on the small planet of Bandomeer, and Master Yoda had assigned the young initiate to work for the agricultural group that was attempting to make the planet more self-sufficient. For that young boy, it was the death sentence of his aspirations to become a Jedi. But Xanatos knew he could find a way to bring Qui-Gon and the boy together. He just had to set up the right set of circumstances to show Qui-Gon that he needed the boy, as much as the boy needed him.

Rising from his meditations Xanatos settled in front of his desk. He pulled up his computer to the public records on Coruscant and began looking up information on the young initiate that was meant to take his place at Qui-Gon’s side. Obi-Wan Kenobi. He did have a rather promising record at the Temple already, and it was surprising that he hadn’t been selected by another Master. But now he was reaching the age where he must be taken as a Padawan or be forced out of the Jedi. And the powers that be were doing their best to force Kenobi and Jinn together. Xanatos knew that it had come to last resorts if he had been asked to intervene.

With his thoughts whirling, Xanatos once again pulled up the files from Offworld and began to look for any interests they had in the Bandomeer system. His lips quirked as he noticed several key facilities that may not only help him with his immediate task, but would also help him to secure more power in his resources and long-term goals. Opening up his private communications channel he sent a few messages to leaders of different smaller mining interests in the system, offering them rather generous compensations if they would agree to work under the Offworld umbrella and under his influence. He wasn’t too concerned about any problems there, as he had built a reputation for the company to be very generous with their benefits to those who joined, and ruthless in its pursuit of power and wealth. With any luck, those deals would be negotiated and settled before he reached the planet.

For several hours he worked at his computer, making fast deals and sending out instructions as he worked on ironing out his plans. Finally the major kinks had been worked out, and he rubbed the soreness in the back of his neck as he leaned back in his chair. He decided to attempt rest again, at least a restorative meditation if not true sleep. He would need his energy and wits over the next few days.


	7. 44 BBY

Xanatos entered the privacy of the rooms that he had been granted by the officials on Bandomeer. As the door slid shut behind him, he moved to the bed and sunk down upon it, his eyes falling shut. It had been much more of a shock to him that he had expected, seeing Qui-Gon again for the first time in nine years. The man looked like he had aged more than was natural. The grey in his hair, the tired look in his eyes, it haunted Xanatos. He knew he was the cause of those alarming effects in his former lover. He found himself once again with those feelings of war between his emotions and his duty, those same feelings that plagued him since the day they had left for Telos so long ago. It took everything he had to push his emotions to the side and look into those green eyes, to show that cocky smile as he laid out his hand in that meeting.

With a frustrated sigh, he stood. Quickly braiding the long mass of his hair and tying it off, Xanatos sunk to his knees next to the bed and tried to find some semblance of calm through light meditation. He steadied his breathing and began sorting through the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that this day had brought forth. He needed to focus and push aside the turmoil he was feeling. He had to remember why he was on the path he was on, and keep his resolve to stick to it.

Just as he was falling into calm, the chime on his door drew him from his thoughts. Scowling, he reached out with his senses to see who was bothering him. His recoil was almost physical when he recognized Qui-Gon’s force sense on the other side of the door. A private meeting with the man was not something he was looking forward to, especially in the fragile emotional state he was still in. The old scar on his cheek felt as if it was on fire again as he considered not opening the door. But he knew that was futile. Sighing, he rose and palmed the control for the door, allowing it to slide open and reveal the man on the other side.

“Good evening Qui-Gon,” he said with a quirk of his lips, surprised that he was able to keep his voice as steady as he did. “Something I can do for you?” Those damned green eyes. Xanatos held them as best he could, shoving his emotions into their little locked box in his mind and slamming it closed. Eventually Qui-Gon stepped over the threshold and into the room, allowing the door to slide shut behind him, leaving the two of them cut off from the rest of the world.

“What are you doing here Xanatos?” Qui-Gon said, his voice hard and full of wariness.

“I thought I made my intentions rather plain,” Xanatos replied nonchalantly as he turned away from the man, breaking eye contact. He shrugged out of his dark robe, hanging it on the wall as he felt his former Master’s stare on his back. “My company has rather significant interests in the mining possibilities on this planet. I came to give our offer.”

“Did you know I was going to be here?”

Xanatos took a steadying breath and then turned, plastering a smirk on his lips as he rested his hands on his hips. “Really, Qui-Gon, my life doesn’t revolve around you anymore. I had no idea the Jedi were sending you to these negotiations. I mean, what interest does the Jedi have in mining?” He moved closer to the older man, letting his arm rise to brush thin fingers over the older man’s cheek, noting that Qui-Gon didn’t respond in any noticeable way. “But I must say, it is rather pleasing to see you again. Really, that grey in your hair does become you.” He shifted his hand to drag his fingers through the soft strands.   
Qui-Gon finally responded, reaching up to grab the offending wrist and pull it away. “Stop these games,” he said, his voice quiet.

“As you wish,” Xanatos replied, pulling from the grasp and turning away from the man to move further into the room. “But really, Qui-Gon, I didn’t ask you to come up here to visit me. You made that decision. You can hardly fault me for trying to find some entertainment in the situation.” He tensed slightly as he felt Qui-Gon approach behind him, close enough to feel the man’s breath stirring the hair on the back of his head. A shiver ran down his spine as the sensation caused a whirlwind of feelings within him, and his eyes closed as he fought to control his breathing.

“I came here to find out your intentions.” Qui-Gon’s voice was low, barely above a whisper, but filled with so many unspoken emotions.

“And you have done so, so I suppose you can leave now.” Xanatos replied, torn between hope the man would leave without another word, and fear that he might do just that. But he didn’t sense any movement behind him to show the other man had the intention of leaving. Turning, he found himself with only a hair’s breadth between them. His breath hitched slightly at the closeness, and he found himself frozen by that green gaze. When a large hand grasped his waist, holding him close, it took all his strength of will to keep from melting against the man. “Who’s playing games now?” Xanatos finally whispered, the crack in his voice betraying the emotions within.

“Shut up,” Qui-Gon said, and then before Xanatos could react, he had leaned down and pressed his lips hard against the smaller man’s. Against his will, Xanatos responded to the gesture, his own hands rising to grasp the older man’s waist. For a moment, he was transported back to a time when everything was the way it should be, and he was happy to be near the other man. But then reality crashed back down into his mind, and he pulled away from the embrace, intent on pushing the man away. But Qui-Gon wasn’t letting him escape that easily.

Xanatos found him pushed back against the wall, the heat from Qui-Gon’s body sinking into his clothes and causing sensations to run up and down his nerves. “You can’t tell me you don’t want this,” the older man breathed heavily, his hands moving across the smaller body he held captive. “You can’t tell me that the feelings between us are gone. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in your body.” Once again Xanatos’ lips were captured in an almost violent kiss, and he felt his will crumbling away under that persistent touch.

A soft gasp escaped him as Qui-Gon shifted, his body pressing fully against the younger man’s, and his head bent to trace lips across the marble skin of Xanatos’ neck. “Qui-Gon,” he whispered, hating himself for the tremble in his voice. There was no response from the older man, just the continued assault against his senses. Despite the weakness taking over his limbs, Xanatos tried to push against his shoulders, to move himself away from the onslaught. But his efforts were in vain against the strength and determination of the older man.

Xanatos jumped when he felt the heat of Qui-Gon’s hand against the skin on his side. The movement pushed him against the taller man. The heat between them increased tenfold with that intimate touch and Xanatos found himself losing the battle with his own self-control, the physical reactions of his body taking over. “Qui-Gon,” he breathed again, his voice faltering.

“Yes,” the older man groaned as he pushed at the fabric separating them, never relenting the assault of his lips on the pale neck of his younger lover. Before Xan could even register what was happening, he found himself being pushed down onto the small bed, the larger body of his former master pressing down against him, the fabric separating them gone. Giving in, he arched up against the man above him, moaning at the contact of skin on skin. His hands rose to grasp the long strands of the older man’s hair, pulling his head back up to capture his lips in a deep kiss.

He found himself falling into the pressure from the other man, and while part of him knew that he shouldn’t lose himself in the moment, it had been so long since he had felt the pleasing touch of another on his skin, instead of his own hand. And so he pushed the thoughts he had to protect into a corner of his mind and shut the door on them. He couldn’t risk letting anything slip in this encounter.

“Damn you Qui-Gon,” he groaned as they broke for air, his eyes fluttering shut as the older man dragged a hand down his body. “You do seem to know just how to get what you want from me.”Letting his head fall to the bedding beneath him, Xan finally gave into the persistent press of the older man, letting his body’s reactions and senses take over as they moved together in a long-forgotten rhythm.

The warmth of the morning sunlight streaming through the windows and onto his face woke Xanatos from sleep. For the first time in days he had slept without nightmares, and felt secure and almost happy again. Instinctively he curled against the warmth beside him in the bed, a soft sigh escaping his lips. As a strong arm tightened around his shoulders, he snapped back to the present, blue eyes flying open to find Qui-Gon watching him with a sad expression on his face.

“Son of a Sith!” Xanatos cursed under his breath as he pulled away from the older man, summoning to his hand the discarded robe that lay on the floor next to the bed. His body protested the movement with please soreness, and flashes of the pleasure from the night before made him flush. He let the length of his hair fall around him, hiding him from Qui-Gon’s gaze as he stood and tied the robe around his thin frame. “I believe that another discussion is scheduled, perhaps you should leave so that you can prepare,” he said without turning to face the other man.

He sensed Qui-Gon moving, although the man remained silent. Xan jumped when he felt a hand upon his shoulder. “Come back to me Xan,” Qui-Gon whispered hotly against his ear, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s not too late.” He could feel Qui-Gon’s Force energy reaching out to him, probing against that sore spot in his mind where their bond once lived. It was almost enough to make him weep for the lost feelings it conjured.

“It is for me,” Xanatos replied, putting as much harshness as he could muster into his voice. “It was too late for me the moment you murdered my father.” With a steadying breath, he found the strength to pull away from the other man, moving around him to open the door to the room. “Get out. You can’t save me Qui-Gon. Whatever we had is gone.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Qui-Gon would argue, and Xanatos didn’t know if he could hold on to the last remnants of his will much longer. With another such gesture from Qui-Gon, Xanatos knew he was in danger of spilling out everything, of telling him the entire truth, damn the consequences. But then an almost defeated look entered the man’s eyes, and with an almost invisible slumping of his shoulders, left the room without saying anything further. As soon as he was clear of the door, Xanatos shut it, then immediately sunk to his knees where he stood.

Doing his best to steady his breathing, Xanatos tried to find his focus again, to remember why he had to be strong, why he had to reject the one thing he wanted more than anything. He had a mission to complete. He had to remember that. There was so much at stake, so much that depended on his success. Maybe one day…


	8. 44 BBY

Xanatos watched as Qui-Gon and the young boy ran from the entrance of the mine, the deafening boom of the explosion occurring just moments later. He had provided Qui-Gon the key on how to escape the “trap” that had been set, and he knew the boy had the knowledge of how to give them the time. At least from their perspective. What they didn’t know is that that timer they had come across in the mines didn’t actually control the explosion, the remote that Xanatos held tightly in his hand did.

It seemed from the way that the two were interacting now that the goal of bringing them together had been achieved. Part of his heart was torn at seeing the small, sad smile that finally graced Qui-Gon’s lips as he looked at the boy. While it seemed that he was finally beginning to allow someone else into his life, it pained Xanatos to know that in some small way he was being replaced. Would Qui-Gon grow to love this boy as he had grown to love Xanatos?

Pushing away those thoughts with a grimace, Xanatos pulled his hood over his face and turned to make his way through the chaos caused by the explosion and back to where his ship was waiting. It was best for him to get out of the area before the confusion settled and people began looking for someone to punish for the damage. He had no doubt that Qui-Gon would share the information about Offworld’s, and Xanatos’, involvement in the disaster as soon as he was able to meet with the administrators. He had completed what he had come to this damned planet to do, and it was time for him to leave and continue on his larger task.

Once he was on his ship, he pulled off his cloak and tossed it over the pilot’s chair as he settled in and took the controls, starting the engines and getting the ship off the surface and out of orbit as quickly as possible. Turning the comm console, he punched up the private communications channel that had been set up for him and sent a brief message of mission success. Redundant, maybe, as Qui-Gon would certainly make it known to those who needed to know that the boy was going to be his new Padawan. That taken care of, Xanatos set his ship on course back to Telos.

He was about to move back to the living quarters of the small ship when the buzzing of his communications channel drew him from his thoughts. Brow furrowing, he hit the key to turn on the viewscreen, not surprised to see Chako, the second-in-command for Offworld on the other end. “Forgive the interruption, my lord,” the man said. “A message has come through the offices for you, marked extremely important.”

“Who is it from?” Xanatos asked.

“I don’t know sir, it did not say, and it is sealed to only open with your voiceprint.”

“Transmit it to my ship,” he said, watching as the man on the other end punched a few buttons on his panel. He was intensely curious about who was sending him an encoded message through his company. He knew it wouldn’t be coming from his contact on Coruscant, as they had other systems arranged. This could be what he was waiting for for the last nine years. Perhaps his mysterious benefactor was finally making ture contact. After a moment, the light indicating a new message downloaded into his system began blinking, letting him know that it had been successfully received. “Got it. I’m on my way back to Telos,” he said before flipping off the comm channel.

He entered the sequence to bring up the message, Xanatos identified himself for the voice-recognition key of the message. The message was short, text only. Instructions to meet at an appointed place and time, and the hint that it would be well worth his while to do so. The location was a rather seedy area pas the edge the Outer Rim, known for smugglers and pirates. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was currently controlled by the ruthless Hutts. Xanatos considered whether or not he should chance the meeting. It was in the opposite direction from Telos, and several day’s journey. However, he knew that he could get himself out of any trouble that may come of it, and decided to see what it was about. It was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. And besides, he had several agreements with the Hutts in place already, so he had “friends” in the area if needed. And so he changed the course of his ship to head towards Teth in the Outer Rim. A short message sent back to Chako to inform him of the change in plans, and then Xanatos moved to the living area of the ship.

Settling into a comfortable position against the bulkhead, Xanatos let his head fall back to rest against the cool metal as his eyes slid closed. The past few days had been extremely trying on his focus and his resolve. He had known it was going to be difficult being near Qui-Gon once again, even after so many years. But he hadn’t been fully prepared for the onslaught against his senses that had come with the sight of the man. The obvious signs of stress, guilt, and pain that were evident on the man’s face and in his body were enough to cause Xan to feel a bubbling of self-hatred stirring within him. He hoped that the boy, Kenobi, could remove some of those dark stains from Qui-Gon’s mind and heart, even if he himself could not.

His mind automatically began replaying the events of his meeting with Qui-Gon, his body still able to feel the heat of the other man’s touch. He shouldn’t have let the encounter happen. He should have shoved Qui-Gon out the door, he shouldn’t have even opened it to begin with. Banging his head against the bulkhead, Xanatos cursed himself for the whole mess of a situation. He couldn’t afford to let himself slip like that. There was too much on the line, and he had to keep his emotions in check, and his head on straight.

Shaking himself in a physical representation of leaving it behind, Xanatos stood and made his way back to the living area of the ship. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat down at the computer console, once again pulling up the mysterious message he had received. Perhaps he could do some magic with the computer and find out where it had come from. It would certainly be wise to go into this situation with as much information as possible. But even after hours of digging, he was not able to crack any of the solidly built encryptions that had protected the message’s secrets. So he would just have to wait.


	9. 44 BBY

Xanatos glanced warily around the deserted monastery where he had traveled to after landing his ship in a clearing several hundred meters away, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber. The B’omarr Order had been forced to abandon it years ago, and it was dark and oppressive in the jungle air. The appointed meeting time that had been set had come and gone, almost an hour past now. And the oppressive feeling of Darkness that surrounded the area was enough to set his teeth on edge. Perhaps he had made a mistake in coming here after all?

Finally he decided that he would wait no more, and began heading back towards his ship. But as he turned to leave, he found his feet frozen to the ground, tied down by the invisible strings of a strong Force pull. On instinct, he drew and lit his saber, the red glow from the blade illuminating the dim space. A menacing chuckle from the shadows drew him to high alert, and he squinted into the darkness, trying to see the figure from which it emanated.

“Who are you?” Xanatos demanded, his lips twisting into a grimace as he carefully pushed his own Force senses against the Darkness that was clouded around the figure. The invisible tendrils of Force energy were shoved back at him, causing him to sway momentarily at the shock of the blow. Luckily he managed to hold his ground.

“Your benefactor,” the gravelly voice responded. Xanatos could just make out the edge of a pale chin from underneath the heavy hooded cloak. “You’ve done well with the information I’ve provided you over the years, Lord Xanatos.”

Behind heavily shielded walls in his mind, Xanatos filed away what information he could. This person was definitely a Force-sensitive, and steeped in Darkness. This could be the one he had been searching for. Xanatos allowed a small smirk to turn up his lips, but still didn’t lower his blade. “So glad to finally meet you face-to face,” he said. “Why the interest in my business?”

The dark figure didn’t move from his shadowed place, but Xanatos could feel the press of awareness against him, the sickening feel of threads of thought trying to push into his mind. He reinforced his mental shields, even as the feelings pulled away. The figure chuckled again. “Let’s just say, you have sparked our...interest.”

“Our?”

“In time,” the hooded figure replied. “But you still need to prove yourself.”

Before Xanatos could respond, the figure raised a pale hand, and vibrant blue-white streaks flashed from his fingertips. Deflecting the first of the bolts, Xanatos found himself at a disadvantage, as he still could not move his feet. The second bolt caught him in the side, and he crumpled to the ground. Before unconsciousness took him, he saw the figure moving towards him.

A searing pain in his head brought Xanatos to full awareness. With a start, his hand went immediately to his belt, searching for his saber. Biting back a curse when he found it missing, he turned his eyes and his senses to his surroundings. For a moment confusion clouded his mind. He was back on his personal ship.

Warily, he pushed himself to his feet, swaying as he felt the weakness in his limbs weighing him down. He pushed his senses as far as he could, but could find no trace of the heavy Darkness that had surrounded the figure earlier. Although the lingering traces told him that it had probably been that man that had returned him to his ship.

Glancing around him, he found his saber laying on the console of the living quarters, a datapad propped up against it. Collapsing in the chair in front of the console, he picked up the pad. Once he had activated it, he read through the terse message left behind by his “benefactor”.

After finishing the message, he tossed the pad down and moved to the cockpit of the ship. He wanted to get out of this hellhole as quickly as he could. And now it seemed he had a task ahead of him. _He wants me to prove myself, eh?_ Xanatos thought to himself as he piloted the ship out of orbit. _Well, he’ll see what I can do..._


	10. 44 BBY

Pulling the hood of the deep brown meditation robe over his head, Xanatos moved slowly through the once familiar halls of the Jedi Temple, his face turned down to hide his identity from those that passed. It had been much easier than he anticipated to sneak back into the temple, making use of the maze of water tunnels that supplied the building and its extravagant fountains and gardens. He had been there for several days already, moving furtively about the temple by use of the air ducts, water tunnels, and through the halls with the use of the stolen meditation robe. His small thefts were starting to become noticed, and the investigation was hampering him only slightly. It was rather annoying to him that Qui-Gon was put in charge of the investigation, along with Master Tahl, but then Qui-Gon had been sent out on a more important mission. At least he would be able to avoid another confrontation with his former master. What was interesting to him was that Kenobi, Qui-Gon’s new Padawan was nowhere in evidence.

Slipping into the massive archive library of the temple, Xanatos found a deserted private study room and accessed the computer terminal, easily hacking into the temple systems using backdoors he had previously established. It didn’t take long for him to learn of Kenobi’s decision to leave the Jedi in order to help the Young rebellion on Melida/Daan. For a moment, anger flooded through him as he cursed the boy, and he had to tamp down the feelings. It would be disastrous if a momentary outburst of anger led to his premature discovery. There was no doubt that such a betrayal by the boy would have hurt Qui-Gon, who had only just been able to open up and accept him a few months prior. Not to mention the frustration of all the trouble Xan himself went through to get the pair together. If it had all been for nothing...

Scowling in irritation, he went on with his work. It took him a few minutes to hack into the Temple control systems, and then he was able to quickly plant the virus that would wipe out the Temple’s computer systems on his signal. Lights, ventilation, water, lifts, computers... they would all be disabled. The entire temple would be thrown into chaos as the systems went down one by one. But of course, he would cause some other chaos of a much more explosive nature before then. 

With a few last taps to erase his presence from the computer terminal and avoid any type of trace, he pulled the hood of the cloak over his head again and left the room. The halls this early in the morning were quiet, and he did not encounter any others as he moved through the temple. Finally he reached his destination, the Room of a Thousand Fountains, a massive greenhouse on the lower levels of the temple filled with waterfalls, ponds, and huge amounts of Force-filled plant life. It was a popular spot for meditation, and in fact had been one of his personal refuges when he still called the temple home.

Keeping the hood pulled over his head, Xanatos moved through the mostly deserted meditation garden. This early in the morning very few sought the refuge that the waterfalls and plant-life that this room offered. As he approached the long footbridge that moved over one of the more expansive waterfalls, he felt into the deep pocket of the robe for the device he had brought along in the waterproof sack he carried.

Once on the bridge, he glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and then began his work of securing the explosive device to the underside of the bridge. It took some work for him to be able to reach a place where he could secure the device out of sight, requiring him to climb over the side of the bridge and into the railings that supported it. But eventually he did get it set and moved quickly to an area where he could observe the bridge while also remaining out of sight amongst the foliage. Timing was going to be extremely important here, and he had to remain within sight of the bridge, despite the fact that it left him open to discovery.

It wasn’t very long at all before his wait was rewarded. From the other side of the bridge, he could see the slowly moving figure of Master Yoda making his way through the meditation gardens, just as he did every morning like clockwork. Taking a steadying breath, Xanatos gripped the remote detonator tight in his hand, waiting for just the right moment. This was the crucial moment, and he could not let nerves cause him to fumble. He watched as the diminutive master made his way down the path, pausing here and there to take in the feel of the Force energy flowing around the room. 

As Yoda reached the center of the bridge, Xanatos tensed and sent out a burst of Dark Force power, giving the old master only a few seconds warning before he detonated the device, causing an explosion that shook the ground. Debris from the bridge went flying through the air, and Xanatos watched as it fell to the ground and into the surrounding water. Then, through the billowing cloud of smoke and dust, he saw the movements of the old Master, who had cleared the blast just in time. His attention was focused on using his own Force energy to contain the larger part of the blast and keep it from destroying the plant-life surrounding the area. Xanatos watched as the destructive energy was surrounded and transformed by the diminutive master, dissipating into the air.

As alarm klaxons sounded, Xanatos slipped away from the scene before he could be discovered. Already he could hear the heavy footfalls of those responding to the alarm, and he slipped through the plants carefully, using his Force sense to shield his presence from others. He paused for only a few moments to leave his message scrawled across the wall of the meditation room, “Meditate on this, masters: Next time I will not fail.” Then he slipped away to hide while he waited for the time to start the next part of his plan.

It was another two days before Xanatos returned to the temple, after having received word that a shipment of valuable crystalline vertex had been put into safe-keeping in the treasury room. The theft of the highly valuable crystals would prove to be quite beneficial to Offworld, as well as cause another level of confusion and chaos in the Temple. The only annoyance was that it appeared Qui-Gon had returned to the temple, with Kenobi in tow. Apparently whatever had happened on Melida/Daan had been resolved, and the boy had returned to Qui-Gon’s side. He would have to try to avoid coming into contact with either of them, although that might prove unavoidable. Since the explosion in the meditation room, the Temple was on high alert, and Qui-Gon had been working with the other masters to find the one responsible.

Having reached the tunnels that run underneath the Temple, Xanatos sent the remote command to activate the virus he had previously planted into the computer systems. He then climbed into the air duct systems again, and made his way towards the Jedi treasury room. He only had to wait in hiding for a few moments before the temple systems began shutting down, including the locks on the doors. It was almost proving to be too easy. He glanced warily through the metal mesh of the air duct, making sure the hall was empty. Pushing open the grate to the duct, he dropped quietly to the floor and moved towards the large doors that led to the treasury room.

The sound of a lightsaber blaring to life behind him caught him off guard, and he spun, his own blade already in his hand and activating. He cursed silently when he found himself facing off with Qui-Gon and Kenobi. He should have realized that they would have set a trap, even if they didn’t know who their prey was. It had been too easy. Cursing himself for his ineptitude, Xanatos plastered a smirk on his lips and lowered his blade slightly, though he still maintained a defensive stance.

“Xanatos,” Qui-Gon said, his voice hard, devoid of emotion. “Surrender yourself, there is no way out.”

“Really, Master?” Xanatos replied, emphasizing the title in a way that almost turned it into a slur. “You should remember...I always have a way out.” In fact, he actually didn’t have a backup plan at this exact moment, as he had not expected to be caught in a dead-end hallway. But his mind was racing, and he was quickly forming something that might work out. Something he had read in Kenobi’s initiate file… He just hoped he could pull off the bluff. He directed a sneer at the young padawan. “Heard from your friend Eerin?” Xanatos taunted, pulling the name of the young Mon Calamari padawan mentioned as a close friend of the boy’s. The confusion that showed on Kenobi’s face gave him the upper hand. “No? I’m not surprised. She’s a little...tied up at the moment. How long can a scared young Mon Calamari breathe underwater? I’d say she’s only got a few minutes left, sitting at the bottom of the main purification tank.”

Kenobi began to fidget, glancing back and forth between Qui-Gon and Xanatos. “Go, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon finally said without looking at the younger man. Without a word, Kenobi ran off to rescue the friend he believed to be in danger. Of course Xanatos had done no such thing, but the bluff had worked, now he just had to worry about Qui-Gon

“That’s much better, isn’t it?” Xanatos said, and then launched into an attack, the red blade of his saber slicing through the air. Qui-Gon easily parried his blows, and the two fought viciously as they moved through the deserted hallways. “Forget it Qui-Gon,” he taunted. “I can outlast you. I’ll kill you here, steal the vertex, and the Jedi will have to go on without you.” He parried a thrust as he continued to move backwards, then turned and ran a high speed up the spiraling steps that led to the council chamber. He knew the council was elsewhere, concern after the explosion and attempt and Yoda’s life causing them to meet in more secure facilities.

As he reached the chamber, he forced open the door, leading Qui-Gon into the room, and turning to face him again, continuing the assault with his saber. He had to hold the man off long enough to figure the best way out of the situation. He could not, would not, kill the man, whatever taunts he made. But he had to find some out.

“Your small mistakes were always your downfall,” Qui-Gon said as he parried another blow, the green of his blade sliding along with a dangerous hiss. His voice was still low and hard. It was almost frightening the lack of feeling in his words and in his eyes.

“I don’t make mistakes,” Xanatos growled, swinging his blade at the older man as he continued the fight.

“Your footwork always gives you away, it has since you first started training with me.” Even as Qui-Gon spoke, he pressed the attack. “See now, you’re leaning onto the ball of your left foot, you’re going to lunge that direction.”

Xanatos stumbled as he instinctively tried to change his motion, and was almost caught by a swing of Qui-Gon’s blade. Apparently the man felt little qualm about killing him now. Part of Xanatos’ heart died at the thought. With a shove of Force energy, he pushed against one of the windscreens that surrounded the chamber, and leapt out of the window to the ledge that ran around the spire. As quickly as he was able, he began racing along the edge, towards the south side, where the landing platform was situated just 15 meters down. He could hear Qui-Gon following him, and he swung around.

“You have more important things to be worrying about,” he shouted at the older man, raising his voice to be heard above the wind that whipped around them. “Would you let your apprentice die just to kill me? He’s already tried to leave you once, maybe it would be better that way…”

“You’re tiring, Xanatos. That is when your taunts begin. It’s over, surrender.” Qui-Gon continued pushing the attack, forcing Xanatos to the edge of the platform. Xanatos could see in his eyes the determination to end this here and now. He couldn’t let that happen. There was still too much to do.

“It’s never over.” He smirked at the older man. “I’ve rigged the fusion furnace to explode. As soon as Miro cycles through the computer system and gets it all turned back on...well, there will be nothing left.” He could see Qui-Gon’s eyes widen slightly at the threat, and he knew he had struck the right nerve. “What you revere can also be your destruction. Haven’t you learned that yet?” With that, Xanatos leapt from the ledge, flipping through the air and landing on the platform below before taking off. He glanced back quickly, and saw Qui-Gon racing back into the temple, no doubt to stop the feared destruction.

Quickly hotwiring an airspeeder, he raced away from the temple. While he didn’t get the bonus of the vertex, he had achieved his goal of sowing chaos throughout the temple. The attempt on Yoda’s life would have been enough, but the added threat of the destruction of the temple, along with the problems that would be created by his virus would be more than enough to achieve his ends. And so he made his way back to the landing platform where he had left his ship, and quickly left the city-planet before Qui-Gon could muster the Jedi forces to go after him.


End file.
